The Mission
by caidanu
Summary: Ed knew befriending a homunculus might've been poor judgement on his part, but he never expected his brain to come up with its own instruction manual on how to stay sane in the process.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: A continuation of my Resurgence series. Last part for the team Greed stuff.

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Something wasn't quite right, but Greed couldn't work out what exactly the problem was. He stood in front of Darius and Heinkel and Ed, ready to make his boss-speech for the day and everything felt… _off_.

His expression soured a bit as he looked his crew over again. Up his head went as he mulled over Heinkel and then up again a shade as he moved on to Darius. Nothing out of sorts there. Then his head lowered as it always did when he looked at Ed.

Except instead of staring Ed in the eyes, Greed's landed on his nose. "Hold on." He raised his hand, inhaled deeply, and mulled it over. That couldn't be right. Yesterday morning and last night he had done the same thing as usual and his line of vision had been on Ed's eyes.

He must've messed the routine up somehow so Greed did it again with the same result. He put his hands on his hips and raised an eyebrow while looking mildly offended by the turn of events.

Damn. Either he was losing his touch, or Ed done fucked up and grew in his sleep.

Greed grinned, reached out his hand, put it on the top of Ed's head, and pushed it down an inch. "Problem solved."

A few seconds passed before Ed's face turned beet red and he screeched, arms and legs flailing around. Birds scattered from the tree tops. "What the hell, Greed?!"

He swiftly moved ahead so he could dodge Ed's wrath. Greed chuckled. He couldn't shake the grin off his face. Damn, he had heard some of the people in the towns they visited talk about teenagers growing overnight, but he had always thought they were exaggerating. He hadn't realized that something like that could actually happen. A quick glance back had him moving even faster as he saw Ed stomping closer. He moved faster.

Ed's appetite had picked up recently too. It took effort on all their parts to keep Ed fed and happy. Ling always wanted to eat too. Food was a relatively new concept to Greed. He didn't have a lot of solid memories to begin with, but the ones he had never included him eating. They mostly focused on his old crew, and given how Envy and Pride never ate, he had put two and two together. He only felt hunger pains because of Ling. Because, he shared a body with a human.

While he enjoyed eating, he wasn't at gluttonous or greedy for it as Ling. Initially, Greed had thought Ling wanting food all the time was a lack of self control, but after feeling their body weaken whenever it had been a while since they ate, made him rethink that line of thought and realize Ling's motivations for always wanting food might have a biological reason behind them. Greed had taken to making sure Ling had his fill of whatever he wanted to inhale.

_'I told you it would happen to Ed sooner or later.'_ Ling's voice held a satisfied, I-told-you-so tone to it.

Greed hated that tone and wanted to argue just to spite Ling, but seeing it happen right in front of him was convincing enough. Ed's face had started to thin out around the cheeks, and his jaw started to look more masculine. There were other changes too. Ed was putting on more muscle and now… now the brat had grown taller. Why couldn't humans come out already grown instead of small and helpless and deceiving? It was bad enough the other two towered over him. What if tomorrow Ed was _taller_ than him?

His grin fell and Greed gasped a little at that thought.

Ling laughed.

Greed made a face. Out of all things, the goddamn kid had _finally_ hit puberty.

"Greed, I'm gonna kick your ass when I catch you!" Ed's voice cut through his thoughts and cracked in that oddly ear-splitting way that only a teenage boy's could.

He covered his body with his shield and tore off through the forest. He could hear Ed running behind him at first, then the footfalls fell off until nothing. Greed slowed down and stopped. His first mistake. He barely had his footing when a red blur tackled him to the ground. Before he could get his bearings, Greed was on his back with Ed staring down at him, looking as mad as ever.

"You ever push my head down again like that, I'm gonna rearrange every cell in your body." Ed lightly smacked Greed's chest and his scowl deepened. "That was a dick move and totally uncalled for."

"Maybe but who gave you the right to grow in your sleep?" Greed heard Ling sigh and tsk at him. Once the words were out, Greed wanted to take them back, rearrange them, then shove them back out of his mouth.

Ed scrunched up his face then shook his head. "What the–" He pushed Greed back against the ground, harder this time. "That doesn't even make any sense. It's not like I can help what my body does when I'm sleepin'."

It was a dick move, and if Greed could take it back, he wouldn't because no matter how much Ed complained, his teasing kept the kid distracted from falling into another funk.

Five days since that night when Greed decided to climb into bed with Ed and keep him warm. Five days of doing that each night and Ed not moping around. Maybe Ed might be mad at him now, but it was better than the alternative.

Greed reached up and lightly flicked Ed's nose. "Got your blood pumping, did I?"

Ed glowered, and his eyes searched Greed's. Then something happened. Realization dawned in those golden eyes, and he suddenly pulled back and got off Greed's stomach. "Yeah… whatever…" Ed brushed himself off and started walking. He waved his hand once and casually called back, "Don't do it again or there's gonna be a Greed smear across the forest." He waved his hand out as if enacting where exactly Greed's bits and pieces would land.

The tone of voice had been too calm and no longer held any real bite to it. Greed scowled. It felt like he was getting off easy. He waited until he only saw part of Ed's ponytail as he moved through a patch of bramble. Greed sat up. His eyes narrowed a little. Ed's reaction left him puzzled.

Darius stopped in front of him, grabbed his arm, and pulled him up. "There you go, boss."

Heinkel laughed as he walked by. "Looks like he's learning."

"It's about time," Darius chimed in. "Maybe we'll get some peace and quiet now."

Greed's frown deepened. What the hell was that supposed to mean? He knew Heinkel was talking about Ed, but what could the kid learn that would be so damned funny? "Learning what?"

"How to not let you get under his skin," Heinkel said as he disappeared through the brambles.

He stood alone, trying to work out what had just happened. Greed stood there for a few seconds and huffed as that thought settled in, then tore off after his team. He was their leader and should be in the front where he could keep them safe and Ed couldn't ignore him. When he caught up to them, there was a treeline ahead and he could see his team through the trees, standing there with Ed wildly gesturing to Darius and Heinkel. Greed slowed down then stopped.

"I don't know if there's another way around that won't be goin' in the wrong direction. We gotta be able to get back to Central when Mustang's ready. We're supposed to lay low until Spring then go back. I don't wanna be too far away by then." Ed threw his hands up the air out frustration. "We've been going to this way for too long to have'ta turn around now."

"You think you can make it across without getting sucked in?" Darius gave Ed a skeptical look.

Heinkel stood there with his arms crossed over his chest. "He's right. We'll be walking through it and lose you along the way."

"I said I'd fix it and make it safe," Ed groused. "You guys act like I don't know what I'm doin'."

"What's going on." Greed tromped past his team and pushed through the trees.

Ed grabbed a hold of his coat to hold him still. "Slow down, Greed… there a swamp there and it probably has sink holes all through it."He sighed then glared at Darius and Heinkel. "As I was saying, going around is gonna take too long. I have my alchemy and we'll be fine…"

Greed stared at what was in front of him as Ed's voice faded into the background of his thoughts. The clearing gave way to a muddy, swampy area that spanned for miles. Even at the edge of it, the ground felt soft underfoot and there were deeper mud pits that littered the ground. Ed was right. If they went around, who knew where they'd end up, but he didn't like the idea of making his team wade through it. "You got your alchemy." He grinned. "Go ahead and show us what you're gonna do with it."

Ed walked up next to Greed and stretched his arms out behind his head. "I think I should see how bad it is first. Might not need to do anything if the mud only goes down a bit."

"Yeah, do that. I wanna know how deep and how long this goes." Greed looked over the expanse of the swamp.

"Alright." Ed bent down near the edge, closed his eyes and focused, then clapped his hands together and touched the ground.

The mud parted for a seconds before starting to run down and topple on into itself. Greed grunted. That looked like a damned death trap for anything with a pulse.

Greed looked his team over, eyes moving from Heinkel to Darius, then to Ed—only this time he adjusted to match Ed's new height—then frowned. They all had pulses. He would probably be fine, maybe, but the rest of them? Greed wasn't so sure. "It's too risky." None of them had more than one life in them. If he got stuck, he could take his time, working his way out. Not that he would have to with his shield. The swampy ground was nothing to him. Sink holes could swallow humans and chimera, though. "We'll go around it as much as possible."

Then Greed's mouth twitched with amusement when it occurred to him that one of them might have to carry Ed if the ground got too soft. Even if they stuck to the edge and went around, Ed had less body mass and heavy automail, so he would struggle the most with any sink holes. Carrying Ed was practical, though maybe a bit dangerous if any of them tried.

Ed squinted. "It's not _that risky_. I can make it so the mud'll stay put until we get to the other side."

"What happens if there's a weak spot? You always say alchemy is equivalent exchange then what happens if your wall starts fallin' apart?" Already he could see a few weak points where Ed had demonstrated with alchemy. Greed knew it had only been a brief demonstration, but even still, he didn't much care for the idea of them being in the middle of it and getting buried.

"Then, we'll all be swallowed whole," Ed said matter-of-factly.

That had been the answer Greed expected. He could take risks with himself but he'd be damned if he did the same with his team. "Like I said, it's too risky. If there's a chance it could end bad, then we're gonna try something else."

Ed simply shrugged. "Fair enough. We'll go around it then, but we need to make sure we're going in the right direction so we don't end up halfway across the county by the time we're done."

That Ed was even bringing something like this up meant they must have already veered too far. "We're not losin' time yet are we?"

"Nah," Ed gave Greed another odd look. "Been keeping us somewhat going in a circular pattern or at least a zig-zag." He held his hand up near his eyes to shield out the sun and looked over the swamp again. "If you wanna go around we should start left then straighten out towards north as much as we can."

Greed shrugged. "Alright, we'll head left then up as soon as we find a break in this, and if we don't then we'll go somewhere else."

Ed grinned. "Lead the way then, boss."

The entire group went silent. Greed opened his mouth then closed it. That was the first time today they had agreed on something.

"What? You're the boss, right? It's your call." Ed stood there and looked at Greed as if he was waiting for something.

He gave Ed a good once over to see if maybe he had missed something. When Greed only received a curious look in return, he grunted and turned away. "We'll head up that bank since the ground looks more solid there."

This time he insisted on taking the lead, making sure Ed was between everyone. If there were any sinkholes, Greed wanted to be the one to find them before anyone else did.

"Keep alert and don't stomp around. That'll get you stuck," he said, addressing the entire team but keeping his eyes on Ed.

Ed, though incredibly smart, was reckless. Greed both liked and hated that about him. The only thing that stopped him from constantly keeping an eye on Ed was alchemy. The kid was the best he'd seen and plenty capable of taking care of himself.

That didn't give Ed the right to tear head first into any and everything. Greed didn't have much, but Darius, Heinkel, and Ed belong to _him_, and he took care of his own. Anyone who didn't take care of their possessions didn't deserve to have them. Greed had seen plenty of that in his short existence, and he had thieved what he could from those very same people.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be careful." Ed crouched down, clapped, then put his hands on the ground to reveal a path closer to the edge of the swamp. "But this way'll be faster and still safe. It'll let us go around while staying as close to the edge of the swamp as we can get."

The small wall barrier that came up was steadier this time. Greed let out a low whistle. He stepped down, and his feet squished through the mud. The rest of them followed, with Ed directly behind him, then Darius, and Heinkel in the rear.

Being on the move constantly didn't allow him to take much with him. Greed had stowed away a few precious possessions in his bag. If they found an abandoned place far away from people, he planned to start a collection of items for himself. He could use it to store whatever he wanted and come back for it after they disposed of his old man.

Ed ducked in front of Greed. "But I should be the one in front in case I need to use my alchemy."

The clouded his mood a little as they walked further along the edge until he saw Ed drop a few feet in front of him. Greed reached down, grabbed Ed, and lifted him up by the back of his shirt. Mud covered Ed from chest to toe, and Greed's mouth twitched in amusement. He'd do his best not to laugh… at least for as long as he could hold it back. Mud holes were a bitch, and the kid was just short enough for them to be a problem.

Good thing Ed had him and Darius and Heinkel to look out for him when he wasn't paying attention. "Be careful,"Greed growled despite how ridiculous Ed looked. "Don't want the mud sucking you down in there."

"Can it, Greed. It won't happen again. I don't need you gettin' on my case about it." Ed snapped, and it reminded him of one of those vicious little stray cats he'd seen around that were all teeth and claws. Greed almost expected Ed to bare his teeth and hiss.

Greed could feel a grin forming on his face before he could even stop it.

He liked Ed. The kid had a lot of moxy for someone so small and beat down by life. Greed heard Ling sigh. This time he grinned, unable to hold it back any longer. Looked like the brat had his own things to say about this. "Kid, you get any dirtier, we're gonna have to toss you into the river."

'You know, if you'd let me talk to him, I can convince him to go along with whatever we want,' Ling calmly suggested as if the words he spoke were filled with wisdom.

Greed called bullshit on that. Besides, he was Ed's boss. He would handle it.

'Suit yourself…'

Greed ignored Ling. He didn't need the brat telling him how to talk to his team. Ed didn't like being coddled. Doing that would only make it worse. It was easier for Ed to hide all that hurt in him when he was angry or challenged, and Greed could take it easily enough.

"You won't throw me in the river when it's this cold out. 'Sides, I can use alchemy to get the dirt off me later. No sense in doin' it now when I'm gonna get muddy all over again."

"The point is that you're not bein' careful enough." Greed ruffled the back of Ed's neck. "Stay alert and quit tromping around."

"Whatever you say, boss," Ed snapped back while slowing down.

He ignored the sound of Ling's light laughter in his head and focused on the real problem at hand. Ed walked weird. The kid wouldn't keep getting stuck in the mud if his legs matched in length. Ed was outgrowing his automail and refused to let any other mechanic than his own touch it. That meant they needed to go Resembool and hope that his girl was there.

Greed made a face. Ugh, why the hell did Ed need so much shit?

It felt an awful lot like dating a high-maintenance person. They get one thing fixed and then suddenly they needed something new and shiny in its place. He glanced over at Ed and his expression softened. Going to Resembool might not be so bad. That would solve the problem if Ed needed his automail worked on.

"We should skip finding a place to hole up in and go to your granny's house." Greed nudged Ed. "That way you don't wobble so much."

Ed rolled his eyes. "Greed… we can't go there. 'Least not yet. The military is probably all over the place, looking for us. It we wait until it's close to spring, the better chance we have of not gettin'caught." Ed stumbled and got his right leg stuck in the mud again. Heinkel easily pulled him out this time.

Greed automatically reached out and took a hold of Ed's upper arm while mulling over their options. That was always the reason why going to Resembool was off the table. They couldn't do it yet. They had to wait. The timing had to be right. Greed understood why Ed said those things every time, but he didn't think there would be a good time, and he _hated_ waiting for what he wanted. They were going to have to do it one way or another, whether it was close to spring or not, if Ed couldn't keep up.

"Whatever. If it gets any worse, we're going whether you want to or not. I'm cuttin out away from the edge, and you're comin' with me." Greed grabbed the back of Ed's coat and steered him out of the mud and onto solid ground.

Darius and Heinkel followed right behind them. Greed pushed through the low-hanging tree branches until they were back walking in the trees.

"Greed, we shouldn't be getting too far off our path." Ed pulled out of Greed's grip but didn't turn around.

"We can double up our traveling time to make up for it. Not gonna lose one of you because it's inconvenient to walk around." Greed heard Ed gripe under his breath but didn't catch what he said. So long as the kid didn't try to go back—that's what mattered to him the most. As if to prove his point, he moved a little further from the swamp until they couldn't see it through the tree lines anymore and the ground was no longer muddy but covered with dry leaves and sticks.

Holding up his hand, Greed stopped the group, and his eyes scanned the area. Nothing but forest and trees and… maybe something more. There had been a flash of something gray beyond the small forest. Greed moved closer to get a better look. He grinned. There was a house a little ways ahead. "I see one."

"See one what?" Ed asked in a crabby tone of voice.

"Looks like a house," Darius replied before ruffling the back of Ed's head. "If you want I can put you on my—"

"No way in hell I'm climbing on your shoulders." Ed glared at both Darius and Heinkel. "Any excuse and the both of you are all too willing to snatch me up and carry me."

"You're small and heavy," Heinkel explained, "It's like getting a work out—"

Their words faded as Greed picked up his speed and moved quickly towards the bit of gray and black ahead of them until he came out into a slightly muddy, open field.

They stopped behind Greed—with Ed bumping into his back—to get a look. The house was large with two-stories and front porch, but the roof sagged on the right side and the porch was dilapidated. The paint had long ago peeled away giving the home a gray, ugly hue. Greed grinned. Maybe they wouldn't have to get too far off the direction Ed had planned for them to take.

This was perfect. There was no way someone was living here, and they could fix it up. Well… Ed could fix it up right quick with alchemy and at least keep the wind and cold out. It would be enough for them to hole away in for a month or two.

Greed glanced up at the chimney. No smoke coming out of this one. They had come across a couple other homes tucked away from civilization, only to see gray smoke rising from the rooftops.

"I don't see anyone here—" Greed's words were cut off as he tripped over something and fell face first onto the ground with only his hands stopping him from face-planting into the dirt and wet.

"All that talk about us being careful, and you're the one that trips," Darius added with a snicker.

Heinkel nudged Darius' shoulder. "Don't be too hard on him. He's said plenty of times he's rather it be him than one of us."

Ed lightly bit down on his bottom lip to hold back his laughter, then gave up the game, putting his hands on his knees as his laughter split through the silence. "Damn, you really bit it. What the hell did you trip on?"

Greed stood up, brushed himself off, and glared. "Not another word."He turned back around to see what caught his foot. Sticking up from the ground was a small corner of something metal and shiny. Like the corner of a chest. His eyes lit up. Looked like he might have found some treasure.


	2. Chapter 2

"This is the worst idea you've ever had." Ed's voice rose in pitch—far too high for seven o'clock in the morning. "I don't know why I'm going along with it." He threw his hands up in the air, let out a loud exasperated sigh, and let them dramatically drop to his hips. "I should've said no. I'm going to regret this tomorrow."

He had some regrets going on right now. A lifetime's worth stuffed into his compact body. Why was he always the one Greed partnered up with to do grunt work?

"But you didn't." Greed grinned that grin of his that reminded everyone around of him of a shark. He ruffled the top of Ed's head nice and hard... just the way Ed hated it. "Now stop bitchin' and help me lift this."

"For fuck's sake, Greed, you're gonna get knots in my hair." Ed felt his scowl shouldn't have made the grin on Greed's face wider, and yet, somehow it had.

"Then take the braid out." Greed nudged Ed's leg with the corner of the chest. "Looks better down anyway."

"It'd just get in the way," he crabbily snapped. "The braid keeps it from falling out of the tie and getting in my face."

Greed simply shrugged. "Suit yourself. Now lift and put your back and ass into it. No slouching."

Ed was pretty sure he didn't have enough back and ass to put into lifting a chest that was damn near the size of his body and heavy enough to make him wonder what the hell was inside to have this much weight on it. "If I pull a back muscle, you're gonna have'ta carry my heavy ass the next couple of days."

"Nonsense." Greed flashed Ed a sassy grin. "This'll help build up those kid muscles you got on ya. Don'tcha want big muscles so you can impress the ladies?"

"What ladies?" Ed hardened his glare. "We're out in no man's land. In case you haven't noticed," He stretched his right arm out, "There hasn't been another fucking soul around in... forever."

Of course, being out in the middle of nowhere hadn't stopped Greed from finding the one abandoned house that had a buried metal chest of all things. Once Greed spotted the corner of it sticking out of the ground, he acted like he had hit the damn jackpot. Ed knew there was no talking him down from digging it up and didn't even bother trying.

"There was another soul here, once," Greed stared at the chest with a bit of wonderment in his eyes. "And they were kind enough to leave this gem for me," he added as he patted the chest fondly.

"You don't even know what's in it. Could be worthless junk they stashed in there." Ed doubted it. Most people didn't take the time and effort to bury something worthless. If the house hadn't looked like it was abandoned years ago, he would've tried to talk Greed out of looting it. Whoever had owned this chest was likely long gone or dead.

"Then it'll be _my_ worthless junk." Greed's face soured some with that thought. He glowered at Ed. "Why do you always gotta piss on my good mood?"

"Because, I'm always the one who gets stuck with the work when you're '_in a good mood_' while you bark orders at what I'm supposed to do with whatever weird shit you got me doing." Ed bent down and put his hands underneath the chest. He had originally suggested using alchemy to eject it from the ground, but Greed had acted like Ed was trying to destroy his new best friend so the idea got scrapped. "If we're gonna do this, we gotta do it now before I change my mind."

"You are the reason why we're here." Greed pointed his finger at Ed. "So why don't you take your shitty mood and stuff down somewhere nice and deep until you forget it."

Ed hated that Greed was right. He _was_ the reason why they were out here. "_Fine_, whatever. You gotta help, though. Darius and Heinkel are off gettin' supplies and won't be back 'till tomorrow. I can't do it myself with these 'kid muscles' of mine."

Greed looked up from his end and raised an eyebrow. "Does it look like I'm sittin' around on my ass while you do all the work? Fuck, I wanna see what's inside this chest not break my favorite minion's back."

"I'm not..." Ed's mouth snapped shut. The hell with it. If Greed wanted to call him a minion then so be it, after all, he _was_ going along with this stupid idea in the first place and the argument that would ensue hardly felt worth it. "Just fucking help me, alright."

"You're a damn sight bossy is what you are," Greed flashed Ed another sharp-toothed grin. "But you're small and adorable so I'ma let it slide."

Ed slammed his right hand down on the chest. "Boss or not, you call me small and adorable again, I'm gonna launch this fucking chest into outer space!"

Greed only gave Ed a puzzled look. "I don't get why you get all bent up over it in the first place. What's wrong with bein' small and adorable?"

Ed grunted as they both lifted the chest. "'Cause no one takes small and adorable seriously. Just another excuse for them to think I'm weak."

"So?" Greed peered at Ed over the chest, pausing long enough until Ed started getting that antsy look on his face. "Look, not gonna say this again so listen to me real good. You might be small and adorable, but you're more than capable of kicking all our asses. Who cares if people think you're weak or they don't take you seriously? You're not and them not knowin' that only gives you the advantage if you need it."

"I-" Ed wasn't sure what to do with that load of information, but hearing Greed say that shifted his perspective. "Oh yeah? You think I can kick all your asses?" He grinned a little. "All at the same time or one on one?"

"You bet, kid," Greed nodded. "_All at the same time_."

Ed leaned in a bit. "Even Ling?" he half-whispered then waited to see what Greed would say.

"Nah," Greed shrugged. "I have no idea which of you could kick the other's ass and not sure if I'd wanna find out."

Ed's curiosity grew. He held onto his end of the chest but lowered it just a bit. "Oh yeah? How come you wouldn't wanna see us spar?"

"Sparring'd be fine." Greed's expression turned serious. "Fighting isn't allowed, though."

Ed raised and eyebrow to that. "Why not? People fight all the time and then get over it."

"I don't want either of you hurting each other," Greed said, with a finality in his voice that left no room for argument. "If you wanna argue and bicker until you're both worn out, then go for it. But no beating on each other."

He chuckled. "Fine, no fighting… or at least nothing serious." He could always count on Greed's honesty and the reason behind warmed him a little. Ed moved a little to the right. "C'mon, let's get this over there so we can see what's inside this thing."

"Now you're sayin' something I can get behind." Greed's grin was back full force as they both moved the chest out of the hole they had dug and onto solid ground.

Ed returned the smile while they both lowered it down. The way Greed got excited about new things usually put him in a good mood by the end of the day. There was something almost pure and innocent about it,

He pushed his hair away from his face, then plopped down onto the dirt. Ed glanced over at Greed and waited. Greed had his shield up and was already breaking the lock to get inside the chest. The lock easily broke off and fell in the dirt.

There was a moment's pause before Ed grinned again. "C'mon, now, don't make me wait to see what's inside. You wanted me to help with this thing, and I wanna know what we worked so hard to dig up."

They settled in next to each other as Greed opened up the chest. Ed scooted closer and leaned over to catch a glimpse of what was inside. His eyes got big as Greed reached in a picked up the first item.

"What the fuck is this shit?" Greed's grin soured as he dropped the first album and picked up another only to discard it just as fast. "Books and pictures? What the hell am I supposed to do with this shit?"

Ed raised an eyebrow and nodded. Books and albums. Certainly explained why the damned thing was so heavy. "Uhh, I dunno? Read and look through them?"

"This is worthless garbage." Greed made another face and tossed one of the albums.

"It's not..." Ed squeezed between Greed and the chest. "It's not garbage. This chest has memories in it and old books." Something inside of him squeezed in all the wrong ways at the choice of words Greed used. A brief flashback of him and Al burning down their house tried to invade his thoughts before he forced it away.

Greed glowered. "Only you would think books were worth it."

He move back out from under Greed and settled on the left side of the chest. "Well yeah, books are awesome." Ed leaned back and put his hands on his knees as he gave Greed a thoughtful look. "Don't you read?"

"Why would I read?" Greed started rifling through the chest again in hopes there was something else, something better he could use in it. "Seems like an awful lot of work with little payout.

"Why would you—?" Ed's eyes got big and his mouth dropped open a little. "Uh... because books are the best fucking thing ever. 'Specially when you don't got anything else to do." He poked Greed's chest. "You said before you were gonna get bored stayin' in one place, and this," his hand gestured towards the chest, "is exactly what's going to keep you from running out of stuff to do."

"What's so great about 'em?" Greed didn't want to invest his time into something that seemed so… boring.

"You can learn a lot from them." Ed thumbed through one of the albums before setting it down and picking up another. "Al and I used to study our dad's alchemy books all the time. Same with science bo—"

Greed made an indignant sound. While he appreciated Ed's brainy mind, that wasn't _his_ deal. "Do I look like a guy who wants to spend my free time reading about alchemy and whatever other science-y shit you're into?"

"Not all books are about science." Ed set down the albums and dug through the pile. He picked up a book and waved it at Greed then made a face when he saw it was poetry.

"Like that one you're holding." Greed looked at the title of the book. 'Love and Ecstasy.' Straight to the point. Greed liked it already.

"Yeah, like the one I'm holding, but it's… poetry." Ed's face heated up when he saw the title. He cleared his throat, ignoring the fact that his face had to have been as red as a tomato considering the burn he felt on his cheeks and moved on in the calmest voice he could muster. "And most poetry is about romance and flowery shit." That didn't seem like something Greed would be interested so Ed set it aside. Then a thought occurred to him. "Hey, can I ask you somethin'?"

Greed snagged the book anyway and tucked it between his legs. "Knock yourself out," he said while taking more books out of the chest.

"Do you," Ed paused then blew out a quiet breath, "Do you know how to read?"

"The fuck?" Greed turned and looked at Ed like he had lost his mind. "Sure I know how to read. I read shit all the time."

"Like what?" Ed was really curious not. "You just said you don't read books so what do you read?"

"Just 'cause I don't read books doesn't mean I don't know how to. I can read signs and names and letters, 'least if it's in Amestrian." Greed picked up the poetry book between his legs. He had read that title. He could read. That counted.

"You wanna give it try? Reading books? It'll kill some of the boredom for you," Ed offered as he brushed a thin layer of dust off a thick book he had found. The book was about a high-sea adventures of a pirate named Dracole the Victor. "And there're some shorter books in here."

"Give me one good reason, other than killing time, why I'd wanna read a book." Greed leaned back on his haunches, putting his full attention on Ed. "Still haven't said anything that makes them seem all that great."

Ed grinned then nodded. "Easy enough. It's like having an adventure goin' on inside your head."

Greed skeptically looked at Ed. "Oh yeah? What kind of adventures?"

"Anything and everything. Depends on the book and what it's about." Ed set the thick book he held down. If Greed wasn't used to reading then something like this might be too much, although after skimming the back, Ed wanted to give it a go himself. "So you don't read books but have you tried? It's not the same thing as reading a sign or names or even letters. All that stuff is usually shorter and is there to give basic information."

He dug through the chest until he found a stack of children's book. Ed pulled them out and set them down in front of Greed. "There's some that won't take too long to get through and they have pictures and since you've never read any books before, they'll be a good start."

Greed made another offended sound as he looked through them. He picked them up and tossed all of them except one back into the chest. "Kid's books?" He scowled. "What about more of the flowery shit?"

"Uh..." Ed glanced in the chest then back at Greed. "The poetry? I think there's more." He got out a couple more books from the chest and handed them to Greed. "So which kid's book did you keep?"

"Hmm, it's called," Greed turned the book over and slowly read it. "Goldilocks and the Three Bears." He hadn't intended on reading any of them but the blond kid on the book cover reminded him of Ed, and he wanted to keep it.

Ed chuckled, remembering that story from when he was a little kid. He had a feeling even though it was a kid's book, Greed would like what it was about. "We should keep all the books. Maybe it'll give everyone somethin' to do."

"I sure as shit ain't gonna throw any of it out." Most of it might be garbage, but it was _his_ garbage, and if Ed was right about reading, maybe he'd find some use for them. "We'll haul it up to the house in a few trips."

"Nah, we don't gotta do that. I can make something we can pull it on," Ed said with a casual shrug.

"We'll go in trips. I wasn't joking about building up those kid muscles." Greed knew Ed needed to be at his absolute best before they went up against his old man. "No short cuts from here on out unless we need to use them."

Ed stood up and brushed the back of his pants off. "Okay, fine but once I build 'em up, you gotta stop callin' me small and adorable."

Greed stood up and reached out to ruffle Ed's head then reconsidered. No sense in ruining the good mood they had going on. "Stop bein' bossy and I'll consider it."

"No deal." Ed hardened his expression to fully get his point across. "If I wasn't a little bossy now and then, you'd try'ta walk all over me."

Greed picked up a small stack of books and laughed. He tucked his stack underneath his left arm and started walking fast towards the abandoned house. "Suit yourself, but the only way I'm gonna stop callin' you that when you're not small and adorable anymore."

Grabbing his own stack, Ed jogged to catch up to Greed. After they had found the house, the first thing Ed had done was fix the porch so that they could walk on it without the wooden boards collapsing underneath them. Then he had sealed up any large holes from the outside to keep the cold out. They weren't planning on staying here forever so he had only done the bare minimum and left the home's outside looking run-down and abandoned. A casual passerby during the day wouldn't think anyone was staying here.

"Where you want these?" Ed asked once they were inside.

"In the front room."Greed cocked his head towards the large living room in the house.

There was a big stone fireplace that Ed planned on sleeping next to at night. All of them had piled in there on the floor last night, but this morning, before Greed had pulled him outside to dig up the chest, Ed had used his alchemy to give the chimney a good cleaning and repair the damage to the stone, and Darius and Heinkel had wandered off upstairs and picked out a bedroom at the far end of the house they liked.

No one said anything about them sharing a room, although Ed was curious about it. He considered asking questions but didn't want to intrude on something so private, and asking Greed about it was out of the question. The past couple of weeks he had noticed, had thought that he might... He shook those thoughts away and focused on the task at hand.

The last time he had tried to work it all out, it only confused him more. It was best to push it aside and think about what really mattered. Ed set the books down, turned around, and headed back outside.

They made their trips back and forth in silence until the sun started to rise in the late morning and Ed's hair stuck to his forehead. The chill in the air, coupled with him moving slower than normal and the few small breaks they had taken, allowed him to avoid sweating.

Ed had insisted on them taking a break for lunch. Darius and Heinkel wouldn't be back until probably in the middle of the night or tomorrow morning. The run Greed had sent them on would take a while for them to complete. While Ed missed their quiet presence, but spending the day with Greed hadn't turned out too bad.

By the time they were finished, the sun had set and Ed settled into the large living room while Greed started a fire in the hearth. Warmth filled the large room. Ed moved closer to the fire so that he didn't feel the drafts coming from near the windows and door. His muscles ached and his stomach growled.

He tore himself away from the fire and stood up. "There're some leftover sandwiches from lunch. I was gonna make some soup to go with them. You want some?"

Greed shrugged. "Not hungry." He was bent over rummaging through the pile of books on the floor. "Gonna pass on dinner."

"Ling's gonna kill you if you don't eat." Ed stared down at the pile then back at Greed. "Why don't you see which ones catch your interest and give it a go? Then you can read while you're eating."

"And why would I wanna do that?" Greed stopped rifling through the books and raised an eyebrow.

"I dunno." Ed shrugged as he picked through their haul. "It'd be a good way to give one of them a try without pissing off Ling."

"I'll be too busy shoving food in my face to pay attention to the book." Greed tossed a couple books aside into a separate pile. "You've seen how Ling eats. That's why I was gonna skip dinner. I don't need food to get by."

Ed sighed. "All I'm sayin' is that if you're not all that hungry to begin with, you can take your time eating and going through one of the books. Unless you plan on letting Ling out, I don't see why you gotta shove food in your mouth."

"When we eat, he's at the forefront of my thoughts and will bitch at me until I give him what he wants," Greed argued.

"If you don't eat, you won't get a moment's peace if you do try to read," Ed countered.

Greed made a frustrated, resigned sound. "_Fine_. You make us food, I'll feed the brat, and then I'll look at one of the books."

He tried to hold back a snicker as he went to get the food he had stored in a make-shift cooler. Ed had used an old, rusted out unit used for storing wine and applied alchemy to keep the inside cool. They could make due with the set up the rest of the winter if they had to, although, Ed wouldn't mind getting something larger. Maybe he could use that metal chest Greed found, and if it snowed he could utilize that to keep their food cold.

As he fixed their dinner, Ed thought over what still needed fixed up and done. Greed had said no using alchemy unless needed, and he wasn't the best at that kind of hands-on work. Teacher had taught him the basics, but still, Ed had spent most of his time learning and using a skill he excelled at to save time so he could focus on what mattered the most to him. Getting Al's body back. He might have to convince Greed that he was better use doing what he knew rather than taking more time to do everything the hard way. Time was something none of them could afford to waste.

Ed carried their food back into the living room. He sat down next to Greed and handed over one of the sandwiches then started eating his own.

"What'd you put in this?" Greed lifted the top of the bread and looked at the sandwich. "Looks a bit lean."

"Same stuff I put in them earlier, only not as much." Ed took another bite of his sandwich and shrugged. "'Cause until Darius and Heinkel bring more food, we're runnin' low. Didn't wanna use it all up in case we get hungry before they're back."

Greed gave Ed a long, hard look before breaking his sandwich in half. "Here." He nudged the half towards Ed. "Take it. Don't want you runnin' out of energy and gettin' all weak on me."

Ed swallowed the food in his mouth and chuckled. Greed sometimes acted like a big, bad hardass, but he was learning fast that deep down Greed was a softy. "'m fine. I don't need to eat your food. 'Sides, Ling'll want his share."

"Ling's not gonna care if I give you a little extra food. It's not like we need much of it." Although, that he needed food at all bothered Greed more than he would admit. During his short stint working for his old man, Envy had rubbed it in his face a few times that he needed to eat at all. Pure homunculi didn't need inconveniences, Envy had told him. They didn't need to sleep or drink either, but he needed to do all those things to an extent or else he would eventually run out of energy and pass out from exhaustion.

"Suit yourself then." Ed took the offered half and set it down while he finished the one in his hand in a few bites.

They ate in silence until Greed finished and started digging in the stack of books. Ed watched while Greed carefully considered each book but said nothing. He was curious which would be chosen. The poetry book captured Greed's interest for a bit until about ten minutes had passed and it was set aside in favor for something else.

Greed could definitely read. Not that Ed had thought Greed had lied, but he had wondered how well. He recognized the focus, although it didn't take long for it to be broken and for Greed to move onto another book and then another until he settled on the kid's book.

Ed quietly watched for a bit until he couldn't help but smile a little. Seeing Greed, sitting by the fire place reading Goldilocks and the Three Bears was endearing in a way that made Ed's stomach flutter in an inexplicable manner that he had to look away before a simple glance turned into staring. A small voice in the back of his mind tried to push through with some explanation, but Ed ignored it, pushed it away before before he had the chance to overthink and come up with a reason for it.

Ed stuffed the half of a sandwich Greed had given him into his mouth then knelt on the floor. He had set aside a few books for himself and fussed over each one, unable to chose which he wanted to start with. His attention was broken when he heard Greed chuckling. Ed glanced up and saw Greed watching him.

Greed tapped on the picture of Goldilocks and grinned. "That looks like you, a cute, wee, little blonde thing, wandering around where you shouldn't."

Ed raised an eyebrow to that. "Uh… 'case you hadn't noticed, you're not that much taller than me now…" Greed and Ling still had a few inches on him but that was besides the point. "'sides," A shit-eating grin formed. "If I'm Goldilocks, wouldn't that make you baby bear?"

Greed's head moved back in offense. He held up his right hand and waved it as if he were trying to physically shoo away Ed's words. "What? No way I'd be baby bear."

"Sure you would." Ed snickered. "Did ya think Darius or Heinkel would be baby bear?"

Greed scowled. "Why is that so funny?"

"They're giant compared to us, and 'sides, everything baby bear had was just right, and that's you. Always wanting the finer things in life, right?" Ed casually pointed out.

Greed opened his mouth to argue then stopped. "Can't deny that but Baby bear is too young and too small. Doesn't look like he could fight his way out of a wet paper bag."

"Ling's the youngest one in our group," Ed said as his grin grew. The idea of Greed being baby bear tickled him, and if he had to suffer through Greed telling him he was Goldilocks, then he was going to give it right back.

"Aren't you the same age as him?" Greed gently poked Ed's shoulder.

"I've got a few months on 'im, and in the book I don't think Goldilocks is that much older than baby bear."

"I'm over two-hundred-years-old." Greed leaned in, this time poking Ed's chest as if that would prove his point even more.

"Yeah but you don't remember much of it so in a way it's like you're starting over. That makes you emotionally younger than we are. Plus you're in the body of a fifteen-year-old, and I'm already sixteen." The thought occurred to him, briefly, that maybe he was instigating more than he should, but this was too much fun to let go. Besides, they both knew he was right.

"That's bullshit. I can do more than any human kid can do," Greed argued.

"Not sayin' you're a kid." Ed scrunched up his nose in thought. "'Sides, like I said, baby bear wanted the finest things in life, for everything to be just right. His food isn't too hot or cold. His chair is just the right size. His bed isn't too hard or too soft. All of it is perfect. We both know that Baby bear is damned picky about what he wants and has otherwise Goldilocks would've taken a pass on all his stuff. I bet he probably wants the best steak too and the best clothes and the best drink and that's _you._"

Greed made a face. How did Ed know so much about the way his mind worked? Their small group hadn't been together _that_ long. He had always been open about what he wanted, but most people either took it as exaggerating or said in jest. Ed was the first person since Father remade him to openly acknowledge he knew how serious Greed was about what he wanted, what he craved.

He felt torn between congratulating the kid for figuring it out and admitting Ed got it right or wanting to be a cooler, more badass character in the story.  
"Doesn't matter. I'm not Baby bear. Who else is there?" Greed pulled his knees closer.

"Uh..." Ed paused, looking slightly perplexed. "Who else is in the story?" He stretched his arms out behind him. "I don't think there's anyone else that's important."

Greed made a face. How lame was that? If he couldn't be a better character then he'd have to make up his own, one that suited him better.

"Actually, the original tale was about three male bears and an old woman." Ed brushed his hair away from his face. "I found an original tale of it in the basement before Al and me burned our house down. There was a wee, tiny bear, a medium-sized bear, and a great, big bear but they only lived together and weren't a family. The book never explained why they were all there or how they met or—"

"Maybe they were all fucking." Greed folded his hands over his chest.

Ed's eyes widened a bit and his mouth dropped opened but nothing came out.

"Why else would they be livin' in the same house?" Greed shrugged. "Big bear knew how to take care of his mates. Had to keep them close."

"Let's stick with the story you got in your hand. 'Sides maybe the bears lived together because they couldn't afford to live on their own." Ed glanced at Greed then looked away. "All of us live in the same place and we're not all, you know..." Maybe Darius and Heinkel were together, but he wasn't with anyone of them and neither was Greed or Ling.

"It's a dumb story anyways." Greed closed the book but pulled it close to his chest. He wasn't sure why but he felt it deep in his core that their group wouldn't last. He'd be alone again, except for Ling, and for all his big talk, the story reminded him of what he had right now.

Ed was what kept their group together. As much as Greed wanted to take credit for it, he would be lying. And he knew with absolute certainty Ed wouldn't stick around if they beat his old man. He would miss all of them, but the thought of Ed leaving dug at him, and no matter how hard he tried to push that thought away, it kept coming back.

When Greed said nothing more, Ed finally looked through the pile of books and decided to give the one about pirates a read through. He settled against the old couch and soon found himself lost in the pages until tiredness crept up on him. He set the book down, opened face so he didn't lose his spot. His eyes fell on Greed, who seemed cozy on his spot on the floor.

"Think I'm gonna read a little more then get some sleep. You gonna take one of the rooms upstairs?" Ed glanced out the window and saw the moon in the clear sky. He stretched his arms above his head and yawned.

"I like the fireplace," Greed countered.

It was clear to him where this was going. Ed had thought… he sighed. He didn't know what he had thought. He had assumed that when they found… it didn't matter. "Uh… okay? Just stay on your side of the floor."

Greed gave Ed an odd look.

"It's not as cold in here as it was outside so we don't gotta cuddle anymore." Ed rolled out his sleeping bag on the floor.

"What's wrong with cuddling?" Greed asked.

The question surprised Ed. He worried his bottom lip as he thought of how to explain it in a way that wouldn't sound mean. "Well… I mean, I dunno. Friends don't cuddle with each other like that."

Greed looked confused and put-out. "Who says? If it works, then it works."

He opened his mouth then closed it. It was hard to find an argument for it other than he didn't really want to cuddle with anyone. The last time they had slept in the same sleeping bag outside, Ed had woken up in a state and had hard time settling his thoughts and getting his body to cool down afterwards. Greed hadn't seemed to notice, and Ed had convinced himself it had been a fluke due to him being exhausted and teenage hormones running amok.

It felt a little weird now that they had a house to stay in… like he would be crossing some invisible line that Greed obviously didn't know about. Ed knew that was in part because Greed was a homunculus who had never been raised with human codes of conduct, and honestly them cuddling in his tent hadn't hurt anything but...

"It's hard to explain. It just isn't done, Greed." Ed couldn't find a more specific reason without making everything weird and uncomfortable. "'Sides, I like to have my own space."

Greed sat there and stared at him for awhile until Ed wanted to look away. Instead, he stared back and waited. Then Greed's eyes looked up as they always did when he was talking to Ling, and Ed could almost hear a back and forth going on between them in his head.

"It's 'cause you got hard last time, isn't it?" Greed finally said.

Ed's mouth dropped open. He hadn't even realized Greed had noticed. "I—?!" He closed his mouth before something ridiculously embarrassing slipped out.

"I figured it was that puberty thing Ling goes on about. No big. If you gotta dick, it gets hard now and then for no reason at all," Greed said, waving it off with his hand like it was no thing.

It was exactly because of that. Ever since he had started getting taller and getting hair in places he hadn't before, everything changed. His thoughts. His moods. His dreams. Ed had yet to have his first wet dream, but he knew it was coming and given the other night, how he had woken up in a sweat after a particularly vivid dream, it was only a matter of time.

Biology had everything to do with it, and he knew there was no stopping it, especially at night when he had no way to control what he dreamt about, but it didn't made it any less awkward or embarrassing for him.

"Wanna talk about it?" Greed offered as if he was asking Ed about the weather.

Nothing could convince him that talking about it with Greed was a good idea even though he knew neither Greed nor Ling would judge him. Ed couldn't get himself there. That would lead to more questions that he wasn't ready to answer even in the privacy of his own thoughts. He hadn't dreamt about Winry or even a woman that night. His dream had been about—

Ed stubbornly shook the thought away. "No… absolutely not. Not gonna have this conversation with you or anyone else," he quietly said. His head was down a bit. Ed didn't want to see the look on Greed's face or give any opportunity to be found out. A part of him felt ashamed for his cowardliness.

Ed heard a grunt from Greed then silence. He glanced up and could tell Greed was again talking with Ling about something, and he almost asked what but knew he wouldn't like the answer so he sat there and waited.

A brief look of regret and discontentment flickered in Greed's eyes then he shrugged. "Fine but I'm taking this side of the room. You can have the other."

Ed grabbed the book and buried his face in it again as he tried to ignore how awkward he felt. Maybe he shouldn't have brought up their sleeping arrangements at all, but he had thought Greed would feel the same way and be glad they didn't have to rely on each other for warmth anymore. Instead, a weird feeling overwhelmed like he had made a mistake by opening his mouth. That maybe he should have left well enough alone. Seeing a look of disappointment on Greed's face, even for only a few seconds unsettled him. What threw him off the most, though, was realizing he felt a little disappointed too.

His line of sight followed Greed's gestures, placing exactly where they already were at. Ed forced a grin as he settled onto his sleeping bag, book still in hand, on his side of the floor. He turned away from Greed, knowing if he let Greed see his face for too long, he'd be exposed. "It's a deal," he said before letting his thoughts get lost in Dracole's endless search for pirate booty.


End file.
